Lucas,1984,Huntsville,Alabama

I was hoping that over the summer, those things would change. Instead, it seemed Caleb seemed to just get closer to his friends, and more distant towards me. The bruises his father gave him appeared less and less lately, but the boy I loved seemed to be morphing into someone else. No matter what I did, nothing seemed to change. It was like I was fighting a never-ending battle, not only with Caleb but with myself. My heart tells me to stay with him because I love him. My mind tells me to leave before it's too late. I try to listen to my mind, but my heart with its loud beats and flutters always seems to win.

I'm about to head out to our first upper-class man party, where I have the pleasure of watching Caleb trying to impress the older football players. I already have to watch him act fake with jocks from our grade, now I get to watch him do it but with older people who will expect more. I don't even want to go but Caleb said since I'm part of the team, I have to go. Especially since I'm one of the fastest, the older jocks already seemed impressed with me. If I didn't go, it would put a damper on "our reputation," what Caleb really means is that it would look suspicious.

" Lucas, Caleb is here for you!" My mamma shouts from the front door.

" I'm coming!" I shout back, running out of my room to the front of my small trailer.

When I get to the door, I see Caleb standing by his cheap almost broken down, Audi 5000. He spent his summer working on a farm, trying to save up for a car. This was the best he could do, but at least we didn't have to ride to school on our bikes or take the bus anymore. The farm work really helped him get even in more shape than before. His olive skin had developed a slight glow from the outdoors, he somehow got more attractive.

" Took you long enough." He says, with an attitude in his voice, keeping his face trained towards the ground.

" Sorry, I was just getting ready," I say trying to appease him.

" No, I'm sorry I just feel kind of stressed." He says guilty.

" It's your dad, isn't it?" I ask quietly while I close the door behind me.

" Yeah, he kind of got mad at my sister, for wanting to go to college in New York." He says and looks up at me but for the only second. It's enough time for me to catch a glance at the bruise around his eye. I take a step forward with my hand raised about to touch his face. I stop myself though, I'm too scared to do something so bold out in public.

" Come on, let's go to the party and I can drink the pain away." He says, finally looking up at me and he tries to grin, but with all the bruises on face, it comes out as a grimace.

" Yeah, because drinking sure helped your dad," I mutter bitterly under my breath.

" Are you coming or what?" He asks, either ignoring my comment, or maybe he stopped paying attention to me like he used too.

" Yeah, let's go be like all the other teenagers and drink our emotions into the dirt, instead of talking about them," I mutter sarcastically, but I still get in the car.

" Stop being a pisshead, for once in your life." He says with an eye roll, getting in the driver's seat.

" Yeah, I'm the one who's a pisshead," I mutter under my breath again.

We drive the rest of the way to Michael's house in silence, who's the quarterback of our football team. He's pretty attractive, but he's a bigger piss head than Jack. Jack's just a mindless follower but Michael's a manipulative leader, and Caleb wants to impress him. What worries me, is how far is Caleb willing to go, I know how badly he wants to fit in. This amazing boy is becoming something else, he's a Jack now, but he might become a Michael. The thing is even if he becomes Micheal, I will still be by his side. I guess while I wonder how far he'll go, I also wonder how far I'll go to keep him.

We finally arrive at Michael's, which is better than Caleb and I houses but it still doesn't beat Greg's house. Speaking of Greg, Caleb refuses to let me talk to him if he isn't around. He's a hypocrite since he speaks to girls all the time when I'm not around.

" Are you getting out or what?" Caleb says holding the passenger door open for me, and I realize I must have drifted off again.

" Yeah, sorry I just got lost in thought again," I mumble.

" Aren't you always lost in thought." He says laughing, and the beautiful sound actually brings a smile to my face.

" Come on, I'm not always lost in thought," I say, getting out of the car while still grinning

" Yeah right, you're always lost in thought, my little daydreamer." He says, shaking his head, amused.

" Well, I can't help that my dreams are better than reality," I say, grinning even more significant now that he called me his, not noticing that his grin has turned into a frown at my comment.

" Yeah, I guess I understand what you mean." He says forcing a bittersweet smile.

" Sorry, I didn't mean to remind you of.." I trail off not even wanting to mention him right now.

" No it's fine, let's head inside." He says this, but I can tell that it's not okay.

We head into the party, as it's starting to get darker out. It's already in full swing, kids are already drunk. As soon as we are inside, Caleb grabs a bud light and chugs it down immediately. Then we make our way over to Jack and Fred, who are already surrounded by the older jocks. Michael standing at the head of the crowd, with his arms around two girls. I want to run away the closer we get, not wanting to be near cocky Michael and his friends, but my heart tells me not to leave Caleb alone with them.

" Hey, look if it isn't the fastest boy on our team." Michael slurs already a little drunk.

" Hey, Michael," I mutter awkwardly, not really knowing what to say him.

" Come on, don't be shy, do you want me to get you a girl?" He asks, gesturing to one of the girls on his arms.

" No, I'm good, just here to drink," I say grabbing a beer frantically.

" Well then, what about you Caleb?" Michael asks cockily.

" I'm good, I have to watch Lucas here, or he might do something stupid." He says, shooting Michael that charming smile of his.

" Oh come on live a little," Jack says, wrapping his arm around a girl clearly out of his league.

Before Caleb can say something in response to Jack, Caleb's other friend Kyle comes sprinting towards us.

" Guys, guess what I found out!" Kyle says while gasping for air.

" How to actually make a girl orgasm?" Fred, the jokester of the group, asks and everyone bursts out laughing.

" Haha, very funny but no." He says with an eye roll.

" You know that disgusting underground gay bar, we've heard so much about?" He asks excitedly.

" What about it, you trying to tell us you're a homo or something," Michael says smirking evilly.

" No, gross dude, I found out where it's at." He says jumping up and down.

" Yeah so?" Jack says looking confused, but I know precisely why Kyle is excited. My stomach starts to hurt, and I feel myself panicking, and when I turn to look at Caleb, his face has become ashen.

" Well Jacky boy, this means we can teach them disgusting fags a lesson," Michael says his smirk somehow twisting into a malicious grin.

" Yeah, let's go give them a lesson they'll never forget!" Tyler one of Michael's mindless followers says.

"What do you say Caleb and Lucas, you up for it?" He says looking pointedly at us.

Before I can answer, Caleb throws his arm around my shoulder and says " Of course, we're up for, it's wrong." I turn to look at him, and he seems in pain, just voicing the words.

" Okay Freddy, show us the way to this sick place," Michael says getting up, shoving the girls off his arms in the process.

We walk out of the house in a group, a majority of us, drunk. As I listen to them talk joyfully about their plans, I feel my hands start to shake. Just when I feel like I'm about to lose it, I feel a hand on my own. Looking up I see it's Caleb, looking just as scared as I am.

" It's going to be okay, I'll protect you, I promise." He whispers in my ear, squeezing my hand tightly.

His words while comforting, don't stop me from being scared. We finally near a building that looks almost abandoned, except for a small sign saying open. As we near the building the fear builds even higher, when I see Michael pull out a lighter and open up his bud light pouring it out on the side of the building. Then he looks at Caleb and me, Caleb drops my hand instantly. Michael walks straight up to Caleb holding the lighter out to him.

" Why, don't you do the honors, Caleb." He says grinning scarily.

" I'm not sure if I should, I mean it was Fred who found the place," Caleb says his voice shaking.

" Oh come on, your dad's a preacher, there's no better fit for someone to do God's work." He says laughing manically. Yeah, God's work totally consists of harming other people, I think angrily.

" Yeah, I guess you're right." He says taking the lighter with shaking hands, while everyone stares at him intensely.

" Are you guys sure, we should be doing this?" Greg asks nervously as Caleb holds the lighter out.

" Oh, come on Greg, don't be such a pansy." Jacks says rolling his eyes.

Caleb finally goes near the wall, and I follow him hoping he'll stop. He lights the lighter and bends down. Just when I think that he is about the do something sickening, I see a bright light flash behind us. Before I can turn around, I hear someone shout " Cops, everyone run!"

I feel Caleb put away the lighter and take my hand, dragging me as fast as he can towards the woods. As soon as I register what's happening, I start running as fast I can pulling Caleb behind me. We run until we are almost at our clubhouse.Before we decide to head that way, we look around to make sure none of them followed us. Then we head over to our clubhouse and climb up the ladder fast, locking the door behind us once were inside.

" What the fuck, was that Caleb!" I shout once we finally catch our breath.

" I'm sorry for protecting us!" He shouts back.

" Protecting us, you call harming other people protecting us!" I shout back feeling a tear start to slip down my face.

" What else, was I supposed to do!" He shouts again his voice shaking this time.

" I don't know, convince him to give it someone else!"I shout this time feeling a lot more tears slip out.

" Look, he already suspected us!" Caleb yells his voice shaking even worse.

" Suspected us?!" I yell questionably now full sobbing.

" Did you see the way he looked at us like he knew, it was just like..." He trails off, his voice hoarse.

" Just like who?" I whispered feeling the tears come in full throttle.

" My father." He answers then he finally breaks down, falling to the floor gasping for air through his tears. I drop to my knees and bring my arms tightly around him. After cradling him in my arms for a while, he finally speaks again.

" I'm so sorry Lucas, I just wanted to protect us!" He sobs clutching me desperately.

" It's okay, I know," I whispered, rocking him back and forth.

" I just wanted to protect us." He sobs again.

This a repeated process throughout the rest of the night, he sits in my arms apologizing. While I rock him telling him, it's okay until he finally falls asleep. I knew his father had hurt him, but I never knew truly how much his father had broken him until tonight. Caleb always put on this tough façade, trying to be the stronger one out of us. He was still doing things to protect us, so I thought that he was strong, but now I see that he's just a broken as me.